Prototype Info

The 73-foot center divider flat car, often referred to as a “centerbeam” flat car, is a type of railcar widely used in the transportation of construction materials, especially lumber, plywood, wallboard, and other building products. These flat cars are specifically designed for carrying large, bulky, and long items that require support during transit.

Production of these cars began in 1986 and are still used to this day. Centerbeam cars can be seen across the United States and North America, however large numbers can be found in the Pacific Northwest and Canada due to the vast amount of lumber mills. Centerbeam loading is very different than traditional box cars, because of the center divider both sides must be loaded and unloaded evenly to prevent the car from tipping over. That why large clear areas are used for loading and unloading centerbeams, folk lift operators need plenty of space to unload these cars efficiently.

Loads are a crucial detail part of centerbeam cars, due to the open air design of the car the loads are always visible. With the loads exposed to the elements many lumber companies chose to wrap their products within large, decorated plastic wraps.

Features:

• Die-cast Floor
• Detailed brake lines
• Detailed air reservoir
• Etched metal Crossover Platform
• Prototypical ride height
• 100-ton Trucks
• 36” metal wheels
• Separate sale loads available
• Minimum radius: 12 1/2”

About Atlas HO Scale Rolling Stock

Atlas HO scale rolling stock represents the pinnacle of decades of research and development, resulting in some of the most prototypically accurate model railroad products on the market today and includes a wide array of car types, from box cars, to passenger cars to cabooses. In addition to being intricately detailed, Atlas HO scale rolling stock features crisp painting and lettering, perfectly recreating the colorful paint schemes found on their real-world counterparts. All Atlas HO scale rolling stock is ready to run right out of the box, so you can go straight from the hobby store to using the model in your fleet.

About Atlas Model Railroad Company

The primary mission of Atlas is to produce and offer to the public, multiple scale lines of high quality, model railroad products based on prototype information. Atlas’ philosophy is based on a dedicated commitment to prototype research, design and construction. The desired and demanded goal is to create, market and distribute durable operational scale models utilizing the full range of exacting detail which accurately depicts life-sized objects, while providing exceptional service to Atlas customers.

By keeping up the high standards set by Steve Schaffan those many years ago, Atlas will remain a leader in innovation and technology in the model railroading industry for years to come. Although many things have changed since Atlas incorporation in 1949, they follow the tradition and values of their founders. As Atlas have for the last 50 years, they will continue to produce quality, precision products for the model railroad enthusiast.

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